DEMAINTENON, M.J.; HOLLAND, B.S.; COWIE, R.H.; University of Hawaii at Hilo; University of Hawaii at Manoa; University of Hawaii at Manoa: The shell game: convergence, divergence, and the systematics of Hawaiian succineid land snails

Succineid land snails comprise one of the most diverse components of the Hawaiian land snail fauna, with 41 endemic species found in a variety of habitats. The extant Hawaiian succineids are currently placed in two genera: Succinea Draparnaud, 1801, and Catinella Pease, 1870. The generic taxonomy of succineids has been based on reproductive system anatomy since the 1930�s, however relatively few species have been anatomically characterized. The taxonomy of Hawaiian species in particular has been based primarily on shell morphology, with low-spired species typically placed in Catinella and higher-spired species placed in Succinea. Succineid shell morphology is thought to vary with habitat however, with wetland species often having a lower spired shell. One of the goals of the present investigation is to revise the taxonomy of the Pacific Island succineids using both molecular and anatomical data. Molecular phylogenetic analyses including 23 Hawaiian species, combined with anatomical data for a subset of those species, suggests that shell morphology evolves convergently in the two major clades of Hawaiian succineids, resulting in a number of cryptic species. Anatomical data are generally congruent with molecular results and are consistent with the placement of most Hawaiian species in Succinea or Catinella. One catinelline subclade in Hawaii has anatomical characteristics more consistent with placement in the African genus Quickia Ohdner, 1950, suggesting either convergent evolution of anatomical characteristics between Catinella and Quickia, or that the Hawaiian catinellines actually comprise two separate clades with origins outside the islands.